Camera latch



June 9, 1936. A. NAGEL 2,043,903

CAMERA LATCH Filed Oct. 19, 1954 Patented June 9, 1936 'UNITED STATES PATENT orrlclsg CAMERA LATCH August Nagel, Stuttgart, Ger-mann assigner to Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application October 19, 1934, Serial No. 749,082

In Germany December 6, 1933 1 Claim. (C1. 2927-204) This invention relates to photography and more preferably extends across the entire top of the particularly to a latch for photographie cameras. camera and may be provided With tapering walls 8 One object of my invention is to provide a leading up to a central area 9 on which the hancamera latch which is simple in construction and dle I `of Ythe latch element 5 is mounted. One which can be readily operated. Another object of the side walls Il of the housing l is provided 5 of my invention is to provide a camera latch with a small opening i2 0f a Size and Shape t0 which is positive in operation and which will admit the passage therethrough 0f the Dill i move automatically as the two parts of the camera which forms one of the latching elements. As to be latched together are brought together so Shown in Fig. 6, this pin 4 is provided with a that the parts `will snap together. Another obbeveled tOp i4 Which Gah engage and Cam the 10 ject of my invention is to provide a camera, lai-,oh latching element 5 about the pintle l5 so that the which is neat in appearance and which does not latching element 5 will spring over the pin 4 and project out from the camera body, and other Will Spring deWh again ihtO the DOSitiOn ShOWh' objects will appear from the following specicain Fig. 6 Or holding the Darts together. tion, the novel features being particularly point` As shown in Fig. 5, the latehihg element l5 iS 15 ed out in the claim at the end thereof. a flange formed downwardly from a plate I6 Coming now to the drawing wherein like reiwhich isv pivoted .by means of a pintle pin l5 erence characters denote like parts throughout: Which DaSSeS through ,the apeitllleS ii ih the Fig. 1 is a, front plan View of a. camera prodownwardly extending anges 5 and I8 and which vided with a latch constructed in accordance with aiSO paSSeS through the Side Walls l l 0f the hOuS- 20 and embodying a preferred form of my invention. ing 'i- The iatehihg element handle i0 iS iiat- Fg. 2 is a top plan view of the camera and tened out and has rounded edges I9 which, as latch shown in Fig. 1. shown in Fig. 2, are adapted to project slightly Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional beyond the side walls 8 of the housing l. This View through the latch in a Closed or operative renders the latch handle accessible so that it can 25 position. be easily operated. To prevent the latch from Fig. 4 is a similar view of the latch in an inbeing accidentally operated, I prefer to provide a operative open position. recess 20 in the top wall of the housing 1 so Fig. 5 is a perspective View of a camera latchthat, as indicated in Fig. 1, the latch handle fits ing element removed from the camera. down substantially flush With the tele 0f the 30 Fig. 6 is a section through a portion of the housing. camera and latch with the parts in a locking It should be noted that with a latch element 5 position. as described above, since the depth of the ele- Fig. 7 is a plan View of the plate on which ment 5 is comparatively slight and since the one of the latched elements is mounted, the latch length 0f the handle l0 iS mueh greater than 35 element being removed. the depth of the flange, an operator has con- Fig. 8 is a plan View of a part of the plate siderable mechanical advantage by means of this shown in Fig. 7 from the lower side, showing the lever so that the latch can be very easily operated spring which controls the position of the camera even though a relatively stiff spring is employed latch. to hold the latching elements in position. 40

It is customary in camera construction to pro- The spring for holding the latching elements in vide a camera back which is movably mounted either an open O1 a CiOSed POSitiO-h. aS best ShOWn with respect to a camera body, the back either in Figs. 3, 4, and 8, consists of a spring member being removable from the camera body or having 22 which is riveted at 23 to the bottom of the a hinge connection therewith. housing 1, preferably to that part of the housing 45 As a preferred embodiment of my invention, I which has been recessed at 20 to receive the hanhave illustrated a camera body I as having a dle I0. The end 24 of this spring engages the back 2 which is hingedly attached at 3 to the flat flange 25 of the latching element, and since camera body and which is provided with interthis flange is positioned on the end of the latchengaging latch elements 4 and 5 by which the ing element, its contact with the end of the spring 50 camera back may be attached to the camera body. will either tend to press the latch downwardly I prefer to form the latch so that it will be as with the handle I0 resting in the seat 20, as inconspicuous as possible. Across one end 6 of shown in Fig. 3, or to press the latch upwardly the camera I provide a shallow housing 1 which and hold. it in the inoperative position shown in encloses the latch mechanism. This housing Fig. 4. 55

If desired, the spring maybe provided with a reinforcing leaf 26, the sole purpose of this springY being to obtain additional spring pressure.

j Y The housing may be permanently attached to one part ofy the camera in any desired manner,

, but, as indicated in'Fig. 6, one side wall ll may i be formed downwardly at 3l to I'lt into a recess 32, in which'position it may be attached by rivets 33.Y

When a leather Vcovering 34 is placed over the camera walls, this attaching flange is effectively Y concealed. 1 IV also prefer to form the'housing Y'lgwitlri :a i.

rounded bead or rib 35 extending around the upper edge of the housing, except for portions 36 which have been cut away to form a seat 20 for the handle I 0. This rib 35 may be nickeled or Vpolished to make a neat Vlooking latch, andthe Y able and aV neat and compact latch is formedVV center portion 31 ofthe housing top may have a substantially L-shaped slot 38 (best shown inr Fig. 8) cutV throughthe metal, permitting the j'latching element Sand its'handle Il) and the trunnions 5 and I8 to `extend throughthe top Wall ofthe housing. Y s v Y .However, whenthe Yhandle has been assembled, as indicated in Fig. 2, these slots are not noticewhich presents a substantially smooth contour onV the outside of the camera-and yet which is pro- Vvidedwith slightly projecting flanges I9Y tofacilitate the operation of the'latch.`

The operation of this latch is extremely simple.

When the latching elements are inv an operative position, as shown in Fig. 3, the flange 5.is engaged behind the latching pin 4 and the Vmovable camera parts are held rmly latched together.

To open thecamera, the handlev I 0 is merely swungfto the position shown in Fig. 4, in which it is retained by the spring 22 to free the latching pin 4. Ihe cameraV back can then be swung' away from the camera body and the pin 4V mayV pass from the housing through the small opening Y Fig. 3--that is, its operative positionbefore the 1f the iatch'is moved to the position shown camera back is brought to a closed position with Y respect to the camera body, the cam surface I4 of the pin will cause the locking element 5 to` ride up the cam, causing the latch to spring partially Y' vopen and then to close as the pin passes through the opening l2 into an operative position. YThus the latch elements cannot be damaged by bringing the camera back up against the body with the latch in any desired position.

Having thusl described my invention, what IV claimasnew and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

- In a latch adapted for use with cameras having two relatively movable parts with a pin on one of said parts, thecombination of ,a housingr on said Y member .inside of, the` housing comprising a Y flange adapted to engage and hold said pin Vinside of the housing, a handle for said latch member adapted to lie flat in therecessedv seat and: to project a slight distance to each side of the hous-i lng, said latch member being hingedly mounted on the housing and being adapted' to be moved transverselyV thereof to and from an operative pin engaging position, and a spring tending to hold said latch member in either position.

AUGUST NAGEL. 

